Now on sale at regional Sam's Club stores
Dave Tilley under canopies at Vigilante Coffee, College Park
Image Credit: Edwin Remsberg
A University of Maryland faculty researcher and entrepreneur with the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources has given the standard patio umbrella an eco-friendly update and designed a living canopy that provides greater shade and natural cooling with the aesthetics of flowering vines for residential patios and porches, outdoor dining, and urban spaces alike — and they are now available for purchase at select Sam’s Club stores.
Living Umbrellas®, which produce natural blooms and shade from spring through fall, come with a smart, solar-powered irrigation system that knows when to water the plants. “All a user has to do is fill the water tank once a week, and it’s good to go,” explained Prof. Dave Tilley, the Living Umbrellas® inventor and founder, who is a faculty member in UMD’s Department of Environmental Science & Technology (ENST).
